RUAH Fall 2005 Programs

All programs will be held at All Saints Parish unless otherwise noted. For additional information, or to register for a program, please see the RUAH website at www.ruahspirit.org, or contact the Executive Director, Dr. Mary Kay Klein, at 617-277-0036 or ruahspirit@yahoo.com.

Women of Wisdom, facilitated by Nancy Corcoran, Thursdays, November 10, and December 1 and 15, 9:30 am-1:30 pm. This program is for women of all faith backgrounds who wish to come together to reflect on what they have learned in their life journeys, the spiritual transformations they have experienced, and the special rewards and trials of aging. $12 per session, including a delicious lunch. Please call in advance (617) 277-0036 if you are new to the group.

Chinese Gungfu Style Tea Ceremony: Creating Peace and Harmony. Led by Patricia Warren. Thursday evening, November 17, 7:00-8:30 pm. Come experience a harmonious atmosphere, respect for each other and the environment, purity of our hearts and minds, and the genuine serenity that arises when we have practiced harmony, respect and purity. The program can be repeated as many times as you wish. Fee: $30 per session.

Diwali Mela: Festival of Lights, Saturday, November 5, 3:00-7:00 pm, Noyes Hall, Andover Newton Theological School. Diwali is a traditional Hindu festival associated with the return of Lord Rama after fourteen years of exile. The legend has it that each home in the city welcomed him with flowers, sweets and lighting lamps. Activities will include Indian dress demonstrations, hand painting, Indian cooking demonstrations, dance and music. The celebration concludes with a worship. Co-sponsored by RUAH and the South Asian Center. No fee; donations gratefully accepted.

In Good Time: The ABC's of Deep Time Management: Attention, Boundaries and Choice, led by Pamela Kristan, Friday, November 18, 7:00-8:30 pm and Saturday, November 19, 10 am-4 pm. Get a fresh start with a new perspective on time management as spiritual practice and creative act. Friday's lecture explores the life of truth and beauty, and the forces, both internal and external, that conspire against it. On Saturday we practice skills that promote good timing -- sustaining Attention, maintaining appropriate Boundaries, and making Choices in tune with our truest selves. Bring a bag lunch and your current time-management tools (planners, lists, etc.) on Saturday. Pamela Kristan, author of The Spirit of Getting Organized, consults and teaches spiritually oriented time- and stuff-management. Evening Lecture Fee: $10. Evening Lecture and Saturday Retreat: $45. Registration deadline: November 15.

Advent Retreat: Using the Enneagram to Explore the Dark, with Rich Byrne, D.Min., Saturday, December 3, 9:30 am - 1:30 pm. The Enneagram's nine styles of attention reveal how we unconsciously inhibit ourselves, how in this culture we unwittingly chose the dark over the light. During this retreat we shall explore various guided meditation style in order to open ourselves to light and love. There will be times for reflection, questions and discussion. But mostly it will be a time for quieting and for deepening in awareness and faith. Cost: $30 ($25 for RUAH members). Please pre-register by December 1.

Interfaith Concert: The Psalms of Ali Ufki, Sunday, December 4, 5 PM, Temple Beth Zion, 1566 Beacon Street, Brookline. The Psalms of Ali Ukfi is a concert of sacred music produced by the RUAH Spirituality Institute and the DüNYA Organization. The inspiration for this concert is personified by the music and life of Ali Ufki, who lived in the cosmopolitan environment of 17th century Istanbul. For more information about DüNYA and the Psalms of Ali Ufki Sacred Music Project, please visit www.dunyainc.org. Tickets: $18; $16 for seniors and full-time students. $2 discount if tickets are purchased by November 30.

Buddhist Enlightenment Day Celebration: An Awakening of the Buddha Within, led by Ji Hyang Sunim and Thomas Johnson, Thursday, December 8, 7:00-8:30 PM, Houghton Chapel, Wellesley College, Wellesley. Buddha, after many days and nights of sitting under a Bodhi Tree, saw in the morning sky, a star, and exclaimed, "How wondrous! Each thing has it, each thing is complete." Please join Ji Hyang Sunim, Zen nun, and Tom Johnson, Senior Dharma Teacher, as they share stories, chants and practice from Buddhist tradition that teach and celebrate this moment of awakening. Fee: $10; $5 for seniors, full-time students, unemployed. Scholarship assistance available.